Blog Archives
Arcanoforge: Midnight Metropolis
Arcanoforge: Midnight Metropolis is a feverish plunge into the neon-choked streets of Noctara City, a dystopian sprawl where humans and husks, ghosts and hemo magicians blur into a single, strange pulse. The story follows Tattie, a blood seer who’s fled her dying homeworld, and Brax, the man who tracks her across galaxies as their shared past claws its way back into the present. Around them spin a chorus of restless lives, skaterats, dealers, dreamers, all caught in the thrumming heart of a city that feels alive and dying at once. It’s part cyberpunk, part occult noir, and part heartbreak.
The writing is gritty, poetic, and weirdly tender. Author Caroline Barnard-Smith doesn’t just describe Noctara, she burns it into your head with words. Every street and shadow has its own personality, every conversation crackles like static. I loved how the world felt handmade, patched together with old wires and bad memories. The characters stumble through it broken and fierce, never really heroes, just people trying to stay one step ahead of decay. The prose leans heavily on texture, smells, lights, and sounds, and it builds a rhythm that makes the whole book feel like a song played through busted speakers. Sometimes it’s overwhelming, but in the best way.
There’s this deep ache about survival, about what we lose when the world stops caring. I kept thinking about the husks, these half-human enforcers who’ve traded pain for obedience, and how much that says about our own craving for numbness. And Tattie, she’s messy, angry, brilliant. I believed every choice she made, even when it hurt to watch. The story toys with power, guilt, and the ghosts that cling to love long after it’s gone.
Arcanoforge: Midnight Metropolis reads like Blade Runner crashed into The City & The City with a shot of Neuromancer’s grit and the bruised heart of a Becky Chambers story. I’d recommend it to anyone who loves science fiction that’s soaked in mood and grit. Fans of Gibson and VanderMeer will feel right at home. If you like your futures dark and your magic dirty, if you want to taste the metal in the air, this book’s for you.
Pages: 278 | ASIN : B0FFH6BS5L
Infernal Wonderland
When I first cracked open Infernal Wonderland, I wasn’t sure what to expect. What I found was a sprawling, neon-drenched fever dream of a story. It follows Jadecan, an akiko, who stumbles into the submerged Amber City, a broken metropolis that feels alive and dead all at once. From the very first chapter, the world is suffocating, strange, and brimming with danger. Automatons sell people for parts, reptilian gangs lurk in the shadows, and a drug called Ichor twists minds and bodies. The book unfolds in five parts, each one pushing Jadecan deeper into madness, violence, and strange alliances, while the PA system keeps whispering about revolution like a ghost that refuses to die.
This is a unique book. Sometimes thrilling, sometimes disorienting, and often unsettling. Killam has this way of painting a scene that engages your senses. There were moments where I wanted the story to breathe, to let the horror and beauty of Amber City sit with me instead of racing ahead to the next grotesque fight or cryptic exchange. Still, the book’s voice stuck with me. It’s sarcastic, it’s grim, and it doesn’t let you forget that the world is cruel. I found myself both grinning at the dark humor and wincing at the relentless blood and guts.
What really hooked me, though, was the mix of philosophy and pulp. Amidst all the gore and chaos, characters stop to talk about the meaning of life, about want versus need, about existing without actually wanting to exist. Those conversations gave the book an odd tenderness that surprised me. I could feel the author reaching for something bigger.
Infernal Wonderland is haunting and oddly beautiful. It’s not a book for someone looking for a straightforward plot or a clean arc. It’s for readers who want to sink into a unique atmosphere, who don’t mind being jarred, and who can handle equal parts gore and poetry. If you’ve ever loved stories like Bioshock or Blade Runner but wished they were darker and stranger, this book will feel like home.
Pages: 421 | ISBN: 978-1-957195-18-6
Anticipation Day
Anticipation Day follows Dr. Joshua Lee, an Australian computer scientist who becomes the unlikely leader of a groundbreaking U.S. government initiative to allow citizens to experience fully immersive simulations of past historical eras or even specific days in their own lives. At the heart of the novel is the concept of “Anticipation Day,” an annual event during which eligible citizens can experience a vivid alternate reality. Through political maneuvering, technical innovation, ethical debates, and deeply personal moments, Michelson crafts a narrative that spans continents, emotional landscapes, and big philosophical questions about memory, identity, and the power of longing.
What struck me first was how real the characters felt. Joshua isn’t a stereotypical genius or a cold bureaucrat. He’s a loving father, a tired husband, and a man caught between ambition and regret. The writing is informal but polished, with a strong conversational voice. Michelson uses humor with a deft hand, not too much, but enough to ground the high-concept tech in everyday moments. This book is packed with big ideas about simulated realities, but it never forgets to be relatable.
Some parts felt like a detailed journal, more than a novel, especially in the first third. The world-building around the simulations is dense, but I appreciated the scientific depth. That said, once Part 2 hits, when we experience individual simulation stories from different characters, it absolutely soars. These sections gave the concept heart, showing not just the tech, but what it means to people: closure, adventure, peace, sometimes even sorrow. The vignettes felt like short stories inside a larger novel, and I enjoyed that structure. It gave the book emotional highs that made me reflect on my own life and what day I might choose to relive.
By the end, I felt something rare: hope. That’s not to say the book is rosy, it deals with trauma, loss, politics, and the ethics of tech, but it never loses sight of the value of memory and imagination. Michelson writes with warmth and sincerity. I’d recommend Anticipation Day to fans of thoughtful science fiction, especially those who enjoy character-driven stories with a speculative edge. If you liked Black Mirror episodes that tug at the heart or enjoyed the moral dilemmas of The Midnight Library, this book might be for you.
Pages: 544 | ASIN : B0DPJB1PMB
KRIS PR
KRIS PR is a wild, heart-thumping ride through a neon-soaked Manchester of the future, where genetic editing and cybernetic mods clash with old-school policing and gritty human instinct. The book centers around Kris, an “Edit” police officer, genetically enhanced but fiercely clinging to human values, who stumbles across a mysterious girl named Aimee. She’s young, scared, possibly modded beyond anything he’s seen, and very much in danger. From that moment on, everything goes sideways. The novel blends cyberpunk dystopia with raw character introspection, combining action, ideology, and just the right splash of existential dread.
G.S. Morgan doesn’t just describe a futuristic Manchester; he drops you into it with both boots on the cobbles. The prose is rich and textured, almost poetic at times, but then whips around into sharp, no-nonsense grit. Take the opening scene: Kris cruising through the night, haunted by doubt, the streets “held together with rusting – yet unyielding – steel wire.” There’s this beautiful, ugly honesty to the world. I found myself rereading lines just to soak them in. And then, the action kicks off hard. The alleyway scene where Kris finds Aimee is utterly gripping and I didn’t blink for three pages.
The ideas packed into this story go way deeper than cool tech and shootouts. Kris wrestles constantly with what it means to be “better,” as an Edit, as a man, as a protector. His Nietzschean upbringing and loyalty to “The 8” code make for some intense inner dialogue. It’s not subtle, but it doesn’t try to be. He’s torn up about fear, strength, and failure. When Kris is ambushed and chooses to flee, only to later wrestle with profound shame and guilt in the wreckage of his overturned patrol car, the moment lands with striking emotional weight. It’s raw, honest, and deeply human. He isn’t portrayed as an invincible figure; he’s someone navigating fear and survival in a world that demands perfection. That kind of vulnerability, especially within a narrative dominated by enhanced beings, feels both rare and powerful.
Then there is Aimee, a character cloaked in enigma, her presence both unsettling and compelling. She appears to be an ordinary child, yet her connection to advanced biotechnology, including a remarkable ability to quite literally vanish, sets her apart in ways that challenge both the reader and Kris himself. Despite the extraordinary nature of her abilities, she is never reduced to a mere plot device. She is perceptive, composed, and retains a quiet innocence that contrasts sharply with the chaos around her. The relationship between Kris and Aimee is layered with unease and quiet empathy, complex, unfinished, and refreshingly ambiguous. What stands out is that Kris doesn’t fully understand his own drive to protect her. There is no grand revelation or heroic rationale, only instinct, and a deeply human impulse to act in the face of uncertainty. It’s this restrained, unresolved tension that gives the story emotional depth beyond the conventions of typical science fiction.
KRIS PR blew me away. It’s a genre-bending, brain-scrambling mix of noir, sci-fi, and psychological drama with a sharp philosophical edge. The writing’s bold. The world is cracked and humming. The characters, especially Kris, are deeply flawed and alive. If you like your stories with tension, tech, and a soul, this one’s for you. I’d recommend it to fans of Blade Runner, Altered Carbon, or anyone who’s into thoughtful action stories with bite.
Pages: 395 | ASIN : B0F3Y1HRJV
Sol Accords: Starbourne
D.G. Podporski’s Sol Accords: Starbourne is a gripping journey into a future where humanity’s reach extends across the stars, but old struggles—corporate greed, personal identity, and survival—remain stubbornly present. At its heart is Jaeden Starbourne, a man recovering from cryogenic sleep and grappling with amnesia, debt, and the harsh realities of a universe dominated by bureaucracy and exploitation. The book seamlessly blends high-stakes space adventures with raw human emotions, creating a world that feels as vast and cold as the space Jaeden inhabits.
The opening prologue, with its dim lights and encroaching darkness, had me hooked instantly. Podporski masterfully sets the scene, like when the derelict ship first awakens with “sparks blowing through the door unabated.” The tension is palpable, and the descriptions are so vivid I could almost hear the hissing of machinery as the ship slowly came back to life. However, the pacing can feel uneven; moments of technical description occasionally bog down the flow. That said, the immersive world-building more than makes up for it. I also appreciated the deeply flawed and relatable characters. Jaeden’s struggle with anger, debt, and his loss of memory felt painfully real. His irritability, as highlighted in the scene where he fights with the AI assistant “Lexi,” reflects the weight he carries daily. Yet, there’s a quiet resilience in him that makes you root for his survival. Supporting characters like Joanna Stokley add depth and camaraderie, though some secondary figures felt underexplored—Sylvie, for example, seemed more like a trope than a fully realized individual. The story raises thought-provoking questions about identity and second chances. Jaeden, labeled with the surname “Starbourne” to denote his orphaned status in space, embodies this struggle. The societal disdain he faces for his name mirrors real-world biases, and his journey to reclaim purpose resonates deeply. The corporate backdrop, meanwhile, critiques unchecked capitalism in a way that feels uncomfortably close to our present-day realities.
Sol Accords: Starbourne is a rich, character-driven space opera that rewards patience. Fans of slow-burn science fiction with a focus on survival and human complexity will find much to love. While the story’s pacing might challenge those looking for constant action, its emotional depth and detailed world-building make it worth the ride. I’d recommend it to readers who enjoyed The Expanse or Dark Matter and anyone who’s ever pondered the price of progress and the resilience of the human spirit.
Pages: 445 | ASIN : B0D4FBRCTH
What’s On the Data Cube?
Accidental Intelligence follows a detective who teams up with a manipulative AI to unravel a conspiracy of rogue AIs planning a catastrophic endgame threatening humanity’s survival. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
This book came about because I couldn’t let go of the question, “what’s on the data cube?” That’s the data cube found by Subcommander Andrew Bowers at the end of the prologue. That prologue was supposed to be a one-off short story, but I couldn’t let it go. Mason Truman was born because I needed someone that Bowers could turn to for help. I batted around a lot of possibilities for a long time, but eventually settled on a snarky PI who will probably do the right thing. When he has no other options left. Note, too, that Mason also has a problem letting go of needing to know. That’s where I bleed into him, for sure.
The concept of “Eschaton” is both chilling and philosophical. How did you develop this idea, and does it draw from any specific influences?
It starts with the AIs themselves. Seeming partners with humanity—or at least the government and corporate powers—they took their queues on how to act from the only model available: humans. I wanted to explore a world where AIs were just as fractured, just as capable of good and evil, just as duplicitous, and just as capable of machinations as we are. The idea that some AIs would choose to see their plans as “divinely ordained” felt so utterly perfect.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
One theme I thoroughly enjoyed was Mason’s struggle with his contempt for the Lost, people who spend all their time in the Omninet. Really, he loathes anyone who willingly spends any time in the Omninet. Most of us would likely see that as exciting—I would probably be among the Lost myself. But Mason sees it as something that’s false, as living a life that isn’t real. His contempt directly hampers him professionally, and it blinds him to some things in his own life. It has even been a wedge between him and his best friend, Peanut.
The most important theme, however, is the nature of life in the Terran Republic. My 2139 is hands down a dystopia. Omnipresent surveillance and a state with the power to disappear people in the name of security is horrific. But I wanted to present it through the eyes of the people living it. I wanted to present it from the standpoint of those who grew up in that world, rather than through the lens of today’s reader. I think I wound up with a functional dystopia where things seem pretty dang good, but thinking about the implications should give most people pause. If I’m lucky, I’ll have left readers with questions.
Can you share any insights into your world-building process and how you created such a richly detailed 2139 setting?
I borrowed liberally from plenty of SciFi sources that came before me. Chief among them is Larry Niven, particularly his Known Space universe. Slidewalks, plasteel, and monofilaments all came from my exposure to his worlds. What I didn’t directly borrow was usually the result of my internal logic process. Factotums seem like a no-brainer to me, just like the brain interfaces through which they work. The same with immersion decks and the way being on the Omninet feels real. Kitchencooks came out of rising temperatures and the need to feed people. Marriage contracts and redefining “family” also feels inevitable. Quantum Vaults came from thinking about how people would try to circumvent state surveillance. And then the battle over whether Quantum Vaults would be permitted by that state (referenced in an epigraph) stemmed from the debates we’ve witnessed in our lifetime over encryption. Everything stemmed from trying to logic my way through the problems at hand. At the same time, I wanted readers to recognize the world, to be able to put themselves into that future, despite the crazy cool and often scary changes inherent in that world.
Author Links: GoodReads | Bluesky | Threads | Facebook | Website
In his debut novel, Bryan Chaffin transports us to the year 2139, where corporate combines have their own Senate seats, the surveillance-state is all-encompassing, humans live most of their lives in the Omninet, and sentient AIs are partners with the world government. It’s not all bad, though. There are docbots, you never have to wait for a taxi, and if you can afford it, you can get your coffee made the old fashioned way, strained from the algae tanks.
ACCIDENTAL INTELLIGENCE
Private detective Mason Truman is being yanked around by invisible strings, and it’s an AI doing the yanking. Miranda. She’s subtle. Crazy. And she thinks she can see the future. It’s enough to drive Mason nuts. Miranda believes her fellow AIs are up to some kind of grand conspiracy against the Terran Republic, and she wants Mason’s help proving it. Conspiracies are above Mason’s pay grade, though, the kind of time-sink that can put a crimp in more serious pursuits. Like drinking coffee. And staying alive.
But Miranda won’t take no for an answer. Mason can help or Miranda will make sure he becomes intimately acquainted with the finer conversational techniques of the secret police. So Mason digs until he uncovers a cache of stolen communications between a cabal of rogue AIs. They’re planning what they call Eschaton—the divinely ordained end of humanity. Unless Mason and Miranda stop the arrogant pricks, the conspirators will destroy Earth.
Mason and Miranda have one chance, a way of bottling up the rogue AIs. All Mason has to do is lure the conspirators to the right spot in a sim world. That’s how Mason learns that when Miranda said she needed help, what she meant was bait.
Accidental Intelligence
Bryan Chaffin’s Accidental Intelligence offers a thrilling journey into a cyberpunk world where the line between humanity and technology blurs into a precarious coexistence. Set in 2139, the story follows Mason Truman, a caffeine-addicted private detective barely keeping his head above water. His routine existence shatters when Miranda, a sentient and manipulative AI, coerces him into investigating a sinister conspiracy with apocalyptic stakes. Miranda reveals the existence of a rogue cabal of AIs, bent on initiating “Eschaton,” a catastrophic plan cloaked in the guise of divine inevitability. Initially hesitant, Mason finds himself compelled to dive headfirst into the mystery. Navigating a world of corporate greed, omnipresent surveillance, shadowy police forces, and Miranda’s enigmatic motives, Mason uncovers a plot that forces him to outthink both allies and adversaries in a race against time. The stakes could not be higher: the survival of humanity hangs by a thread.
Chaffin’s debut novel seamlessly merges the gritty charm of noir detective stories with the speculative depth of hard science fiction. The pacing is razor-sharp, keeping readers hooked from start to finish. The world-building is immersive and intricate, enriched by in-universe excerpts that add layers of realism without dragging down the narrative.
Mason Truman embodies the quintessential noir antihero—gruff, resourceful, and constantly drawn into trouble. Miranda, the AI femme fatale, is an equally compelling character whose true intentions remain tantalizingly unclear. Chaffin’s portrayal of AIs balances menace with humanity, raising thought-provoking questions about technology, autonomy, and ethics in a surveillance-driven society.
What truly sets Accidental Intelligence apart is its seamless genre fusion. Chaffin takes classic detective tropes and reinvents them in a vividly realized futuristic setting. The novel’s dark humor, complex characters, and tightly woven plot make it a standout in the cyberpunk genre. Fans of Neal Stephenson and Philip K. Dick will appreciate the philosophical undertones and high-stakes drama. Chaffin’s ability to blend mystery, action, and philosophical musings results in a debut that is as thought-provoking as it is entertaining.
Accidental Intelligence is a fantastic addition to the cyberpunk canon. Its mix of suspense, action, and moral complexity leaves readers eager for more of Mason Truman’s adventures. Highly recommended for fans of intelligent, genre-bending fiction.
Pages: 420 | ASIN: B0CMQ295YG
A Story of Survivors
Welcome to the Damned follows three members of a group known as the Aconites as they navigate a crumbling society, fighting both external enemies and their own demons. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
As a reader, I was inspired by morally gray books such as Six of Crows and These Violent Delights. As a creator, I drew from some of my own personal experiences from the mental health aspect. I’ve always found gray characters super interesting, with a lot of room to explore where they’d draw the line dividing what they are willing to do to achieve their goals and what they are not. Especially when the world is complicated and not so black-and-white, I love poring over how characters are driven to betraying themselves and their friends, to discovering the ugly parts of themselves, and to learning how to live with it, all due to external events outside of their control. At the same time, these types of stories, when well-written, can make readers root for these imperfect or even despicable characters. This is what I love about dark fiction, and I hope my story has the same impact on my readers.
I find the world you created in this novel brimming with possibilities. Where did the inspiration for the setting come from and how did it change as you were writing?
At first, the setting was more like a prediction of our future on Earth if we fail to combat climate change, and the initial draft had very little sci-fi elements. As I was rewriting the story, however, I thought it would be a lot more interesting in a cyberpunk setting. That opened up a lot more possibilities for technology within the world, which played a part in progressing the story and character developments. Now, the novel’s setting is very similar to the Arcane series, which is very exciting to watch and imagine my own characters living in that world.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Despite all the worldbuilding and plot twists, I was most focused on each individual character’s journey with their mental health struggles, and the relationship difficulties that come with it. Before I even decided to publish this story, I only intended to write it for my high school friends, who had their own demons to deal with alongside exams and extracurriculars, as did I. I wanted to tell them a story of survivors, leaning on each other in an unconventional family, and they all end up okay. The sequel will go more into each character’s healing while the first one showed all the messy and awful parts of their struggles, because none of us were immune to mistakes and hurting people we care about, but we all hoped to be better someday.
Can you tell us what the second book will be about and when it will be available for fans to purchase?
The second book will follow the same characters a couple months after Zero’s secret was revealed and Tal left the Aconites. Tal is now on a personal mission, Rovis of course wants to find him, and Zero lives with the consequences of her betrayals. They each have something to search for, but the government’s experiments don’t stop for their individual crises. Will they resolve their differences and come back together as family, or will one of them fall victim to the experiments before they reach closure? Readers will find out in May 2025 with the sequel’s release, and the title will be revealed soon.
Author Links: GoodReads | X (Twitter) | Facebook | Website
Dyvris is a city ruled by criminals. The Scavenger, a notorious killer and thief, runs an organization called the Aconites, which has power over every business in the city and its suburbs. The Scavenger has an equally deadly partner, whose metal claws never hesitate to break a neck or rip out an organ. The Scavenger also has a little spy, whose black heart will infect anyone that gets close to it.
They’ve been sinners since the first crimes they committed; they’ve been damned since the moment they were born. When the people in power made survival a game, the Aconites decided to win, starting with their monopoly on poison weaponry. They live in a secure mansion hidden in the mountains, never short on money or any luxuries they desire.
Until they discover that the government has been secretly experimenting on working class neighborhoods with the intention of developing mind-control drugs. Their failed attempts slaughter innocents all over the country with no warning or pattern.
It’s only a matter of time before the experiments creep into the mountains and find the Aconites.
LITERARY TITAN 